A “Brain Drain” at U.S. Department of Education Post-Trump

Politico‘s Morning Education reported this morning that the U.S. Department of Education may see a lot of people jump ship prior to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT COULD SEE BRAIN DRAIN: The Education Department appears poised to lose a significant chunk of its institutional knowledge, as some career employees with decades of experience are looking for the exits because they’re unable to stomach a Trump administration. Some younger employees who joined the Education Department after being energized by President Barack Obama might head for the doors, too. That’s according to several former senior department officials familiar with the post-election mood at the agency.

— The Education Department is focused on Obama’s final months, which will include work on equity issues related to the Every Student Succeeds Act. But spirits are low, with current and former staffers exchanging emails to check in with each other and offer support, sources say. Everyone is still trying to process the election results and they’re uncertain about what’s next, as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to downsize the department, or maybe even eliminate the entire agency. The previous two decades have been a long and intense period of work for many, said Massie Ritsch, a senior communications official during the president’s first term, who was later nominated for assistant secretary for communications and outreach. “What’s disheartening is so much of that work is seemingly at risk.” Ritsch added, “There will be people who will say, ‘I just can’t do this transition.’ I think you’ll see people who represent decades and decades of service say they’re done.”

Is this supposed to be a bad thing because I’m just not seeing it? The U.S. Department of Education does not educate. These are not teachers. Education is not done irreperable harm as a result of their defection. These are bureaucrats who have helped work to federalize education. If they can’t get on board with devolving education back to the states, provided that is what Trump actually does, then they probably need to go.

Couldn’t be better news. An early start on that swamp-draining agenda. Hopefully will save some time for those who will have to clear their way through the morass later. May they have the perseverance and stamina to see that project through.

Tell the people leaving to not let the door hit them on the gluteus maximus (where most of their brains are located I think). Obama and Sec. Arne Duncan have done more damage to public schools than any other administration before them. Good riddance I say. Now is the time that the public put the public back into our education programs for our children.

Dismantling and discontinuing the current marriage of USDoE and Gates/Edtech should be a priority. In 2011, a 40 year old law meant to protect students’ personal information from being shared (FERPA) was weakened to allow data collection and data sharing without parents’ consent. Trump needs to reinstate FERPA before these 2011 changes made by Gates/Arne Duncan and Obama. This would be a start in stopping the hidden data profiling of children.

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